CHARLOTTE, N.C. Queens University of Charlotte fought tough against No. 13 Ball State in a thrilling five-set match at the Levine Center on Thursday night. The Royals pushed the Cardinals to the limit but ultimately fell short, dropping the match 3-2 (25-27, 25-17, 25-15, 30-32, 15-12). Queens' play was highlighted by a dramatic fourth-set victory in extra points. Ball State, however, maintained its composure in the decisive fifth set to secure the road win.

SET BY SET
The opening set saw a back-and-forth battle, with Queens edging out Ball State 27-25 behind a strong offensive performance. The Royals hit .353 in the frame, led by key contributions from outside hitter Chance Shampine, who finished with a team-high 21 kills.

Ball State responded with dominant second and third sets, controlling play with efficient attacking and solid blocking. The Cardinals hit .357 in set two and an impressive .500 in set three, limiting Queens to just 17 and 15 points, respectively.

Facing the loss, Queens roared back in the fourth set outlasting Ball State 32-30 in a marathon frame. The Royals recorded 23 kills in the set, with Matthew Pilch and Carson Strawbridge leading the charge.

In the decisive fifth set, Queens kept the pressure on but couldn't complete the comeback, falling 15-12 despite hitting .313 in the frame. Ball State's balanced attack proved to be the difference, as the Cardinals closed out the match with clutch execution.

ROYAL RUNDOWN

• Chance Shampine led the Royals with a career-high 21 kills while adding five digs.
• Carson Strawbridge contributed 14 kills, eight digs, and three blocks.
• Matthew Pilch recorded 15 kills and nine digs.
• Cayden Marin dished out 55 assists, a career-high, and tallied nine digs and two blocks. Cayden Marin surpassed 1,500 career assists on the night.
• Reed Shuey added eight kills, two blocks, and two digs.

POSTGAME COMMENTS
"I'm disappointed in the result; we had an opportunity to win and didn't play well in the end game and some of our decision-making at the end of the sets was questionable," head coach Jeremy Price said. "I can't fault our effort. I thought our effort was outstanding, but we just have to play a lot smarter and make better decisions if you want to beat a good team like Ball State. Chance [Shampine] had a big match, Matthew Pilch was really efficient. Carson Strawbridge… was good to see him bounce back. Hopefully we could build off this for Saturday."

UP NEXT
The Royals are back against Ball State inside the Levine Center on Saturday, March 22 for a 2 PM start.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the Royals men's volleyball team on Instagram and Twitter/X stay up to date on all the latest news surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics to stay updated on all the Royals sports teams in action by searching @QueensAthletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.